‘I will not resign’: Rocovich challenges Spanberger, Republicans push back on dismissal (copy)
BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech Rector John Rocovich says Gov. Abigail Spanberger does not have the authority to remove him from the university Board of Visitors after she dismissed him this week over ethics and conduct violations.
“I will not resign,” Rocovich wrote in a letter to Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon King on Thursday. “I was appointed to serve a term, I have served that term faithfully, and I intend to fulfill my obligations.”
According to Rocovich, King first called to request his resignation, which he refused, before Spanberger sent him a letter Wednesday stating he had been removed from the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors “effective immediately.”
In the letter, Spanberger asserted that Rocovich had violated conduct and ethics codes and acted against the university’s best interests.
Rocovich, a Roanoke-area attorney, responded that the governor “failed to state my specific cause, as the law requires,” continuing that she does not have “grounds” for his dismissal. His term was set to expire in June 2027.
Under Virginia law, the governor may remove members of public university boards for cause.
“The Governor may remove from office for malfeasance, misfeasance, incompetence, or gross neglect of duty any member of the board of any educational institution,” the state code says.
The code also states that “the Governor is the sole judge of the sufficiency of the cause for removal,” meaning Spanberger has broad discretion to interpret what conduct justifies dismissal.
Rocovich, 81, was serving an unprecedented third term as rector after the board approved an exception to its bylaws allowing him to continue in the role. He's a 1966 Tech graduate, and his letter describes 60 years of service to the university and Virginia.
Spanberger did not specify the alleged violations in her removal letter, and the governor’s office has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
However, Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor and the Williams Chair in Law, said Rocovich’s third term likely gives the governor “enough to substantiate the removal.”
He added that the broad authority outlined in state law gives “the governor a lot of discretion to remove somebody.”
Reached by The Roanoke Times on Friday, Rocovich declined further comment and referred to his letter to King, which was first reported Thursday by Cardinal News.
Rocovich’s removal comes as the board searches for a successor to Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, who recently announced plans to step down.
Rocovich had agreed to allow Spanberger’s incoming board of visitors appointees to sit on the presidential search committee after Democratic lawmakers alleged the Republican-majority board was attempting to select a new president before Spanberger could reshape the governing body.
“The Governor’s interest in having her appointees participate in this consequential decision is understandable, and I have accommodated it,” Rocovich wrote. “That accommodation did not require, and does not justify, a demand for my resignation.”
What happens next?
In his letter, Rocovich argued he had not violated any code of conduct or governing statute and that the governor lacked legal grounds to remove him.
Tobias said that if Rocovich pursues litigation, he would be seeking “a court ruling that says he’s right,” in a case that could eventually reach the Virginia Supreme Court.
As of Friday, Rocovich had not filed in Richmond city or Montgomery County courts.
Tobias said Rocovich would be unlikely to prevail because Spanberger appears to be on “pretty solid ground.”
The board of visitors is scheduled to meet Monday and Tuesday, though it remains unclear whether Rocovich plans to attend following his removal. Tobias said that if Rocovich does appear, the meeting could become “short and contentious.”
“I have committed no malfeasance,” Rocovich wrote. “I have not been derelict in my duties. I have attended meetings, fulfilled my obligations, and acted at all times in the best interests of Virginia Tech.”
As for enforcement of the dismissal, the Virginia State Police report to the governor, though there is no indication Spanberger intends to involve them.
The governor has already appointed current board member Edward Baine to replace Rocovich on the board of visitors. Sharon Brickhouse Martin, whom Spanberger had previously announced would begin a term July 1, 2026, was immediately appointed to complete Baine’s term, which expires June 30, 2026.
Republicans push back
In his letter, Rocovich focused heavily on what he described as a “subordinate” of the governor — referring to King — requesting his resignation, calling both the request and the subsequent letter, “offensive.”
He also pointed to statements Spanberger made during the campaign in which she criticized her predecessor, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, for involvement in university governance and campus decision-making.
“A telephone call from the Secretary of the Commonwealth asking a sitting Rector to resign is not ‘staying out of universities’ business,’” Rocovich wrote. “It is precisely the type of gubernatorial interference that Candidate Spanberger built her higher education platform on opposing.”
Jason Miyares, the former Virginia attorney general, echoed those concerns.
“Spanberger, who previously declared governors shouldn’t interfere with the governance of universities, just fired the most beloved rector in Va. Tech history,” Miyares wrote Thursday on X. “This is a shameful act to appease her leftwing base & proves once again she is Governor Bait & Switch.”
Reached Friday by The Roanoke Times, Rep. Morgan Griffith said he was “disappointed” and “confused” by Spanberger’s decision.
“Governor Spanberger needs to be transparent with Virginians about what motivated this decision,” he said.
Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said in a statement that suggesting Rocovich acted against Virginia Tech’s best interests “is libelous.”
“The governor owes Virginia Tech — and all Virginians — an explanation for this decision,” Kilgore wrote. “What exactly did John Rocovich do?”
Last year, Youngkin removed businessman Bert Ellis from the University of Virginia Board of Visitors, also citing conduct violations. Youngkin’s letter likewise did not detail the alleged misconduct.
Rocovich called the move unprecedented at Virginia Tech, and his letter indicates he intends to continue contesting the governor’s authority to remove him.
Ethan Hunt (540) 381-1678
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